EIGHT people - including two solicitors and an accountant - have appeared in court in connection with a police investigation into alleged money laundering.

Burnley lawyers Richard Farnworth and Dermot Woodhead and accountant Stephen Heap were among a number of people arrested and interviewed last year.

They appeared in Crown Court in Preston yesterday alongside five others.

They were arrested following a police investigation into alleged money laundering.

The eight were originally arrested, interviewed and bailed in April and May last year as part of Operation Flourish.

They are: Mushtaq Ahmed, 45, of Colne Road, Burnley - charged with 21 offences of deception, false accounting and money laundering; Rubina Ahmed, 39, of Colne Road, Burnley - charged with seven offences of deception and money laundering; Farzana Kausar, 31, of Sackville Street, Brierfield - charged with three offences of deception and money laundering; Sadia Kausar, 25, of Victoria Road, Padiham - charged with one offence of deception; Richard Farnworth, 48, a solicitor in Burnley, of Barnoldswick Road, Barrowford - charged with procuring the execution of a valuable security and conspiracy to launder money; Dermot Woodhead, 44, a solicitor in Burnley, of Gisburn Road, Blacko - charged with money laundering and two offences of failure to disclose suspicions of money laundering; Stephen Heap, 54, an accountant in Burnley, of Woodale Laithe, Barrowford - charged with two offences of conspiracy to launder money and two offences of false accounting and David Rawstron, 52, a loss assessor in Burnley, of Barnoldswick Road, Blacko - charged with conspiracy to launder money and false accounting.

All have been bailed to appear before Preston Crown Court on June 1 for a plea and directions hearing.

All are on unconditional bail, except Mushtaq and Rubina Ahmed, who are on conditional bail.